Savannah
“How’smylittlesquish-mallow?”I coo into the camera.
My nephew Thomas, who is named after my dad, gurgles and blows spit bubbles. He has the sweetest little mush face.
It’s been a month since I’ve seen him. I snuck up to San Francisco the weekend my parents were at a medical conference so I could visit my sister and spend time with my nephew.
“He’s great; me, not so much.” My sister switches the baby to her other arm. There are dark shadows under her eyes from her recent run of sleepless nights with a newborn.
“Aww, sissy. The sleepless nights will pass. He’s just gassy. And teething.” I do my best to reassure her. I’ve already given her my tips for helping with Thomas’s colic.
Charlotte sighs. “I know. It’s just a lot harder than I thought it would be.”
“Do you need me to come home?” I lean closer to my laptop and watch a series of thoughts cross her face.
I’m already making plans in my head to call the hospital for time off so I can drive north when she shakes her head and lovingly stares at Thomas. “No, I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?” I would drop everything if Charlotte needed me.
I’d even face my mother.
“Totally.” Thomas babbles, eliciting a bright smile from Charlotte.
Relief washes over me as I sit back on the couch and watch them together. Motherhood looks good on her. She’s tired, but happy.
“It’s harder than twenty-four-hour shifts, isn’t it?”
“Ohmigod, yes. How is that possible?” she asks.
“It’s the lack of adrenaline.”
There’s a rush doctors get from seeing new patients, diving into emergency procedures or surgeries. It makes it easier to stay up all night at a hospital.
It’s the comedown that hurts.
“Of course. I should have figured that out.”
“How’s Jonathan been with the baby?”
Charlotte gushes about how wonderful her husband has been in helping her with Thomas and how they plan to hire a nanny to start when he returns to work.
“Just make sure your nanny is old and wrinkly.”
“Obviously.” Charlotte barks a laugh, and poor little Thomas startles with a cry. “Look what you made me do, Sav.” Charlotte soothes the baby, bouncing him around until he calms down. I love watching her with him. “Enough of me. Tell me what’s new with you.”
“Nothing, really. Just work and catching up on junk TV.”
“Savannah banana, what in the world is wrong with you? You need to get yourself out there. Go out with friends. Meet new guys.” She wags her eyebrows at me.
My brain automatically leaps to visions of Nico Romero.
That hot, sexy bastard.
Even though I couldn’t see him, I could feel his eyes on me. Worst part? My traitorous body loved it. Just knowing he was sitting in that car, staring at me, had my panties getting wet. Then my brain caught up, and my blood boiled for a whole different reason.
Screw that guy.
“No, I’m not ready.” I shake my head, and I don’t know if it’s for my sister’s benefit or mine, but I shove away the image of the hot baseball player watching me through the tinted car windows.
